Lever operated tufting machine



Patented Dec. 31, 1940 [UNITED STATESSV LEVER OPERATED TUFTING WilliamB. Patey, Dalton, 6a., assignor of onehalf to Cal-mack Water-house, Dayton, Tenn.

Application May 19, 1938, Serial No. 208,821

8 Claims. (01. 112-79) My invention relates to tuftins machines for producing tufted chenille bed spreads and the-like and more particularly to the type employing a reciprocating looper driven'through thecutter blade from the feed dog or other supplemental shaft. v i

In the prior art, it has been the practice to employ various types of moving loopers for engagement with the loop formed by the needle as it passes through the fabric. 7 These loopers are for the purpose of holding the loop until itcan be severed by a cutter. ,Stewart 1,984,772 shows one form of such attachment for a sewing machine. In that form a looper is pivotally mounted beneath the base plate of the machine, and is actuated by the feed dog shaft in an arcuate path across the plane of the path of the reciprocating needle. A separately actuated blade is carried by the looperfor severing the loops. Not dnly is the structure complicated and flimsy but the looper, moving as it does in an arc, results in uneven clipping of the loops. Another very similar structure is disclosed in the patent to White 2,110,385, who also usesa pivoted looper and a pivotedknife, but the looper is operated through the knife-from a central oscillating shaft and finally the patent to Jones 2,096,720 employs a reciprocating looper actuated by the feed dog shaft. The link connecting the blade with the feed dog shaft passes through the blade and projects into a slot in the looper. This necessitates the closing and opening of the blade every time the looper is moved, introduces lost motion of the attachment, 35 increases wear, forces the blade closed while the loop is being engaged by the looper, interferes with the engagement and holding of thelooper and prevents the looper from retaining more than one loop at a time. The attachment is also 40 very flimsy. v J

Applicant with a knowledge of all these defects in and objections to the prior art has for an object of his invention the provision of a tufting machine, including a reciprocating looper driven 45 from the feed dog shaft through thecutter blade.

Applicant has as another object of his invention the provision of a tufting machine'employing a reciprocating looper with .a blade pivoted thereto to produce even cutting of the loops, and 50 a link joining the blade to the feed dog shaf for actuating both the blade and the looper.

Applicant has as another object of his invention the provision of the looper and blade for a tufting machine which have a minimum move- 55 ment in carrying out their operations of catching a loop and clipping it, thereby reducing the energy required to operate the machine and the wear incident to its operation.

Applicant has as a further, object of his in 60 vention the elimination of the central oscillating shaft, and theuse of only one of the feed dog operations. v

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the following speciflcation's'and the accompanying drawing and the novel features of my invention will be particularly pointed out in the annexed claims. a

.In the drawing Figure l is a fragmental' sec 10 tional view of .a portion ofmy improved machine. Figure 2' is a plan view of anattachment for my improved machine. f

Referring to the drawing in detail, l shows a portion. of the-head of a conventional sewing machine in which is mounted the usual needle bar 2A carrying the reciprocating needle 2. Also projecting downwardly from the head I is the usual presser bar 40- to which the presser foot ll is clamped in the well known manner.

A table 3 is positioned immediatelybelow the presser foot. andlneedle bar, 2A; The table 3 carries the ordinary throat plate 4, as disclosed in Stewart supra." The work'feed means (feed dogs) and the'mechanism connecting them to shafts to produce the loop forming and clipping the feed dog shafts are omitted from the drawing for the sake of clarity, for their operation is well known in the art and forms no necessary part of this invention. Beneath the table 3 and adjacent the plate [is positioned the frame I. The frame I is mounted upon the usual downwardly projecting extensions through screws, .24 that pass through appropriate slots 20 and are controlled by adjusting screws 21 which are locked in any desired position by nuts 26, to vary'the position. of the looper, to be described hereinafter, with respect to the needle 2.

Mounted to reciprocate within grooves or longitudinal recesses in the frame I is a bar 8 carrying a member I! and secured to such member by screws IS. The member ll rests within the 49 is a finger or looper having an intermediate cutting edge It and a hook end 9." I

Pivotally mounted by screw l3 or other 9.9- propriate means to the looper or finger is a blade l0 having a cutting edge adapted to co-act with the cutting edge l8, of the lcoper for sev- 50 ering the loops thereon. Secured to'the frame .1 through screw 23 is ablock 22, which block must be prevented from movement with respect to I frame I by'a flange or shoulder enga ement or interlock with the frame, or by any other ap- U0 propriate means. l9'designates a link which has an extension 2| that seats in a recess or Op ing in block 22 and pivots therein. The other end of the link It is pivotally connected with the blade l0 intermediate its ends by means of a0 screw 2|, thus providing a floating pivot for blade ll.

Beneath'either side of the bed plate or table 3,

and oscillated in a conventional manner, as indicated in the ,White patent. supra, are feed dog.

shafts I, I. Clamped on shaft [by means of bracket 34 and bolts II, II is crank arm 33. Bridging the space between crank arm 33 and blade III is a link I! which is pivotally secured t1; both the crank arm and the blade by screws I 3|.

Carried by the member l'l through screw II is the downward stroke, the needle draws the loop and-when the needle reaches the lower extremity of its stroke, it begins an upward movement developing slackinztheloop. At thispoinhfeed shaft l is rotating in-a clockwise direction, moving crank arm 33 and link 28' away from the needle. and causingblade II .to rotate clockwise about its floating pivot all, opening the blade and moving the looper across the plane of the path of the needle and adjacent to the needle to engage the loop. thus formed, and holding it ,with the hook I. The needle 2 moves on up out of: the fabric drawing the loop tight about the looper. If desiredyone or more loops may be formed before clipping, depending upon the relation of the blade to the looper, which may be adjusted or varied.

After the looperhasreached the extremity of themovement, the feeddogshai't [is-reversed and rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, moving the crank arm' 33 and link 2! towards the needle and rotatingthe blade about its floating pivot III, in a counter-clockwise direction. This forces the looper to move back out of the plane of the reciprocation of the needle and brings edges II and 10 of the blade and looper, respectively, into, cutting relation. If the looper is designed or adjusted to hold one loop only, then there will be no severing of the loop. However, if this operation be repeated, a loop will be severed each operationthereafter. It will be obvious that it is necessary to employ'a floating pivot 2| instead of a stationary pivot inorder to permit the pivot point of the blade to travel in an arcuate path as the blade opens and closes to reciprocate the looper.

Having thus described my'invention, I- claim:

1. A tufting machine of the character described comprising a needle for carrying yarn through a'fabric to form a loop, a sliding looper positioned beneath the fabric and adapted to pass between theneedle and the loop, a cutter blade pivotally joined to thelooper, a floating pivot for said blade, an oscillating shaft, and means joining said blade to said oscillating shaft for actuating the looper through the blade.

2. A tufting machine of the character .described comprising a needle for? carrying yarn through a fabric to form a loop, a frame positioned beneath the fabric, a looper slidably mounted in said frame and adapted to pass between the needle and-the loop, a blade pivotally joined to the looper,. a floating pivot for said blade, and an arm acting on said blade for actuating said looper through said blade.

7 3. A tufting machine of the character described comprising a needle for carrying yarn through a fabric to form a loop, a frame positioned beneath the fabric, a looper slidably mounted in said frame and adapted to pass between the needle and the loop, a blade pivotally joined to the looper, means carrying a floating pivot for said blade, an oscillating shaft acting on the blade toactuate both the blade and the looper. '1' l "f i A tufting machine of "the character described comprisinga needle for carrying yarn through a fabric to form a loop, a frame positioned beneath the fabric, ''a looper mounted to reciprocate in the frame and adapted to pass between the needle and loop, a blade pivotally joined to the looper, a movable link pivotally Joined to the blade and providing a floating pivot, and means acting'on said blade for actuating said blade and looper. l y

' 5. A tufting'machlne of the character described comprising'a needle for carrying yarn through a" fabric'to form a loop, a frame posi tioned'beneath the fabric, a looper mounted to slide inthe frame and adapted topass between the needle and loop, a blade pivotally joined to the looper, amovable link pivotally'ioined to the blade and providing a floating pivot, andmeans acting on 'said blade for actuating the looper through the blade. it p l l 6. Atufting machine of the character described comprising aneedle for' carryingyarn through a fabricto' for-ma loop, a frame positioned beneath the 'fabric, a looper positioned to reciprocate in the frame and adapted to pass between the needle and :theloop, a blade pivotally Joined to the looper, a movable link pivotally Joined to the blade and providing a floating pivot,

- an oscillating shaft, and means Joining said shaft with said blade to actuate both the blade and the looper. l l

'1. In atuftingattachment, a looper slidably mounted upon the frame and adapted to catch and hold loopsof thread from the needle, a cutting edge upon said looper, a blade pivotally joined to said looper for cutting the loops held by said looper, two links Jointed to said blade respectively by floating pivots, longitudinally spaced upon said blade, one of said links exerting alternately directed torques upon said blade in opposition to the other link, whereby to reciprocate said looperand to clip said loops. l

8.]In a tufting attachment, a frame, a looper slidablymountedupon the frameand adapte'dto catch and hold loops of thread from a needle, a cutting edge upon said looper, a blade pivotally joined to said looper for cutting the loops held by said looper, a central link pivotedon a fixed axis at one end and Joined to said bladebya floating pivot at the other end, a lower linkioined to said blade by a floating pivot, means for reciprocating said lower link, said means in cooperation with said three pivots reciprocating said blade in cutt n enga ementseidslooncrt,

WILLIAM B. PATEY, 

